Bride Wars 2
by dcandthebirds112446
Summary: The title is temporary and I'll change it soon . But here is the epilogue/sequel you guys have been asking for. I hope I do you justice! It's dedicated to those who asked. Once again lots of scenes that have to do with RobXRae but other pairings are here.
1. Hello

**A/N: Okay I worked on this yesterday! I hope you enjoy the epilouge. It's going to be full of exciting things and packed with drama and laughs. And someone else is back...**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN!**

**I hope you guys enjoy.**

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><p>"Do you wanna toast? To marriage." Toni asked.<p>

"Actually I'm not drinking."

"Me either. I was going to get the cider."

"Wait why aren't you drinking?"

"Why aren't you?"

"Are you pregnant?" They asked each other. They started babbling and overlapping each other.

"I'm due March 3rd."

"Me too." They laughed at the one in a million chance. Then ordered sparkling cider and calling friends.

"Wait how did he find out?"

"He told me to take a test just in case.

"Ah. Romantic." she joked.

"Well yeah, it was because I lied and told him it was negative. Then I made him dinner and we sat down, we talked and I gave him his present. And he flipped out."

"What did you get him?" Toni thought for a moment, "Wait, his birthday's not in June."

"I know." she said while she drank a little bit.

"I'm home." Richard called to his wife. He went to the kitchen to see the lights dimmed. He inhaled and smelled something really great.

"Hey there stranger." she teased.

"I don't work that much." he said as he took off his jacket.

"Okay maybe not that much, but you don't spend enough time with me. So I made dinner and dimmed the lights so we could spend time now." she said seductively. As great as that sounded he was really tired.

"Rachel, you know I want to." she kissed the back of his neck, "I really _really _want to, but Bruce killed me-" she bit down a little on his shoulder his eyes opened a little more, "So what's for dinner?"

'_That's better.' _Rachel thought. "Its creamy lobster ravioli."

"Yum." he said surprised. They ate and talked. Richard really enjoyed himself then his phone rang.

"Go ahead." she said in an understanding tone. He looked at her surprised she didn't toss his phone halfway across the room. "I have to go get something anyway." she stood up and headed to their bedroom.

"Hello?" he answered the phone. "I can't right now Bruce. I just got home. Can't Tim do it? Thanks." he saw Rachel come out with holding something behind her back. "I've got to go. Okay bye." he hung up.

"Surprise." she revealed a green envelope dotted with red and yellow stickers. He took it and looked up at his wife.

"What's this for?" he asked.

"Just open it." she smirked. He did so and looked it over. "Happy Father's Day Richard." He looked at the calendar and saw it was in fact that Sunday. "I went to the doctor today and he confirmed it."

"I'm gonna be a dad?" he asked. She nodded nervously. He picked her up carefully and spun her around bridal style.

"YES! I'm going to be a dad!" he said full of excitement. Rachel couldn't help but laugh a little bit.

"That went better than I thought." she said relieved. They spent the rest of the night together and both fell asleep with smiles on their faces.

"That is very cute." Toni smiled.

"Well, what about you guys? How did he find out?"

"I ran out and threw up right after he kissed me one morning. I took the test. He doesn't know."

"That's beautiful." Rachel said flatly. Toni gave her a slight glare.

"So somebody tells me we've got two preggos here. And I don't mean the sauce." Jenn walked up and joked. Behind her were Kori and Karen.

"Hey. Where's Donna and Terra?"

"Terra is swamped at the restaurant and Donna has got two important clients to take care of." Kori explained. "The only reason we are here is because its summer so Jenn doesn't have to work, my store is being watched over by Candi, and Karen has a private party at her shop set for Vic and his buddies."

"Nice."

"So how far along are you? Two months?" Jenn asked

"Yep." They both answered.

"Wait. Hold on." Karen said. "You're both two months along?"

"Yeah. We're due March 3rd." Rachel said simply.

"This is insanity." Kori sighed.

"Don't worry. What could happen? We start fighting over the same hospital bed?" Rachel asked

They looked around avoiding the question.

"We're not that bad!" Toni defended. They went on discussing everything. From what genders they were hoping for, to how they found out, to where they would shop for everything.

"Guys, I've got to go. Garth is going to be home around five and I want to be there when he gets home." Toni said her goodbyes and headed to her apartment. She checked her watch. 3:15. She set up everything and got ready to tell her husband about their soon to be little one.

"We're going to have a baby." she rehearsed.

"You're going to be a daddy." she tried again. "No. That's not good. You and I are having a child." The doorbell rang. She checked the time. "4:30?" she opened it while saying, "You're early." she saw that it wasn't her husband. It was Jason. "Jason? What are you do-?" he cut her off with a kiss. She pulled away. His kiss felt foreign to her.

"Toni. I realized you were wrong. You were right about us wanting different things. But I realized what I wanted, needed is you."

"Jason no." she shook her head. "Hasn't anybody told you?"

"Told me what?" he asked confused "I've been gone for a year, I haven't called anybody or kept in contact with the guys, how could I know anything? But its okay, you can catch me up."

"Jason no. I'm sorry we can't just catch up. Things have changed."

"Are you seeing someone else? I mean you can-" she held out her left hand. Her ring proudly on it.

"Like I said. Things have changed. Okay?"

"Who?" he asked hurt. As if on cue Garth walked in.

"I know I'm a little bit early but I've got amazing news." he stopped when he saw Jason. "Jason? You're back?"

"Oh I see. So you saw we were breaking up and you moved in on her. While she was delicate, fragile, not thinking straight? That was your moment to move in and take her for yourself."

"Jason! That's enough." Toni yelled.

"No let him go, its okay." Garth

"Were you that much of a punk Garth? You had to wait until I was out of the picture because you knew that way she would settle for second best?"

"Shut up!" Toni yelled.

"And you?" he looked to her for the first time since Garth walked in. "You couldn't keep yourself together for a year? You couldn't wait?" He screamed at her. _Now _Garth was pissed. He could yell at him all he wanted but Toni didn't deserve it.

"Shut up Jason!" he ordered

"This is none of your business!" he pointed.

"My wife is my business."

"Wife? She was almost my wife too."

"Key word being almost. Now I want you to leave."

"Or what? You'll call the commissioner?" he mocked

"I don't have to." he said proudly. Toni looked up at him in shock and she smiled. "I want you out. Now." he said not looking away from Jason and holding her close. He stormed out rather dramatically and slammed the door.

"So you're the commissioner, huh?" Toni asked breaking the silence he left behind.

"That's right. And before we celebrate, I'm going to change the locks."

"Sweetheart, I let him in. I didn't know he was back either." she told him.

"Oh. Well are you okay? Do you need anything? Did he touch you? Do you need to take a shower and can I help?" he bombarded her with questions. She giggled a little bit.

"Yes. No. Yes." she answered warily. "Yes and maybe."

"He touched you?" he asked.

"He kissed me." she said honestly. "I backed out of it."

"I'll strangle him." he said looking serious.

"No you will not. This baby needs a father figure who's not in prison!" she took his arms.

"The baby'll be fine, wait what baby?"

"I'm pregnant." she said slowly.

"You're pregnant? With our baby? So like, you mean, I'm going to be a dad?"

"Yeah." she breathed out. "But-" he cut her off with a kiss.

"How far along?" He asked sadly.

"Two months. I'll be having him or her March 3rd." he looked away as if thinking about something. "Why don't you seem as excited as you were before?"

"With my promotion I have to live in Gotham for a few months. I can visit once a month until its over." she just hugged him after that and smiled.

"As long as you can be here with me." he kissed his understanding wife and laughed.

"So we're having a baby? Any name ideas?"

"Anything but Garth Jr."

"How about Garth II?"

"That's the same thing. "

"I know but the second one sounds better."

"You sure your okay?" she asked over the phone once more. "Okay bye." Rachel hung up the phone. Richard walked in. "How are you?" she asked.

"Not so great. I need to tell you something."

"Me too." she said

"You first." the more time he could buy, the better.

"Um. Jason's back. He's pissed off and he just found out that Toni and Garth are married. That's pretty much it."

"Ah. Wonderful. I'm going on a business trip for seven months." he said. "Surprise." he said sheepishly.

"Seven?" she asked shocked. "I'm two months along!"

"I know I'm so sorry but, I have to. I'm going to Gotham and I'm going to help Bruce settle in. Once I do that, he's going to take care of Wayne Tech. Gotham City and move back to the manor."

"Then what about Wayne Tech. here?"

"That's the silver lining in the cloud. Once he moves there, I become President of the company here."

"I don't follow. How is that good news? That means you'll be working twice as hard!" she stood up and walked out of the room.

"Rae, don't you get it? When I'm president I work half as hard as I do now, and then I pay everyone else to do the rest." he tried to sway her.

"Seven months?" she asked. "I know I'm not really looking at the big picture, but. Richard, I want you to be there."

"I will crawl all the way back to Jump if that's what it takes. But I will be here. I swear to you Rachel." he held her close. He noticed her sniffling a little bit and so he smirked. "Are you crying? Are you really going to miss me that much?" he teased.

"No its not that." she said seriously. "Do you smell pickles? And do we have peanut butter or yogurt?" he grimaced at her strange cravings. "And did you pick up the pepperoni?"

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><p><strong>AN: You are really great for reading this and I just want to thank you for it. Don't worry this story is far from over and the only reason this chapter is so short is because its the first one. So look for longer 3,000 word minimum per chapter. Please Read and Review.**

**Much Love and Respect**

**~Poppie~**


	2. Goodbye

**A/N: Next Chapter. The secondary plot is introduced here. I'm glad you guys are enjoying this. And I can't wait to hear your reactions to this chapter. I know its a short chapter but what I have planned for the next chapter can't be exposed yet. Its so anti-climatic. Therefore this is a short chapter.**

**Mewgirl223: Your review really made me smile in the begining. And at the end. Well lets just say I'm not telling ;) *wink* thx for the review.**

**TheDreamChaser: Thank You! I just picked the first random foods that popped into my head. lolz. And I hate pickles too but my sis was eating one a the time.**

**Quoththeraven1103: You know if they weren't in my story, they probably could, but since I'm the puppetmaster, I'm definatley not going easy on them. hehe**

**New york Mike: Thank you so much. And don't worry they won't fight over the same hospital room. :) **

**Random dude: OMG pleaaase don't. I can't handle anymore lawsuits. lolz put the gun down. here it is.**

**boby137: Thats good. Because here it is**

**ME NO OWN TEEN TITANS(yet)! HAPPY READING**

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><p><strong>A Few Days Later<strong>

"So you're going to call me whenever you come back right?" Toni asked as she said her goodbyes.

"Absolutely. I've got to go." he kissed her. "Tell Rachel I'll try to steal Rich and bring him back with me every now and again."

"Okay. Bye. I love you."

"Love you too babe." he left got into the cab and headed to the airport. Richard left the day after he told Rachel the news. He wanted to start as early as he possibly could. That way he might be able to finish settling in early. Rachel was on her way over to pick Toni up. They were going to their first doctors appointment.

"Don't you think its kind of messed up that we're going to our first prenatal without our husbands?"

"Extremely." Toni responded.

"How are you holding up?" she asked.

"Its only been about a half an hour, plus he said he would call when he landed. If anything I should be asking you that question."

"Richard and I text from time to time." she answered simply.

"Didn't we go over you not being in control all the time." Toni asked as they pulled in to the building's parking lot.

"We're here." she deflected. "The doctors are on the top floor." they walked in and took the elevator upstairs. "Are you nervous?"

"Not really." she lied.

"Toni, you're a terrible liar." Rachel snickered. Toni in return sighed heavily as they made their way into their seats.

"I'm just worried. I'm responsible for another life. I don't want to screw that life up for this baby."

"You could never do that. You're full of too much love to give for that." Rachel comforted her before picking up a nearby pamphlet. "Just focus on something else for now. Like _'What To Feed Your Unborn Children'_" she read. "I've got the wrong one." she laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"_Children _as in _plural_. I can't even think about a double birth." she smiled.

"Yeah right. I don't think I could handle twins. Triplets maybe." she joked. Just then a woman with black hair slicked back, wearing purple scrubs walked into the waiting room. "Rachel Grayson?"

"That's me." she stood up and put a pamphlet back.

"Hello. I'm Dr. Penny Young. I see you've been reading. Come with me and we'll get you started."

"Okay." she looked to Toni. "Toni. Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine."

"You're doctor will be out soon." Dr. Young assured before leading Rachel out.

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><p><strong>Ten Minutes Later<strong>

"So how has your diet been?"

"My diet has been pretty strange." Rachel admitted.

"Let me guess, pickles, ice cream and pepperoni."

"Well that's pretty close." she blushed

"How's your morning sickness?"

"Pretty normal. I've been feeling nauseous every morning." she scribbled things down on a pad.

"Yeah okay. You and your husband should probably keep in touch-"

"That might be very difficult for my husband. He's on a very long business trip."

"Grayson? Would that be Richard Grayson of Wayne Industries?" she gushed.

"Yeah. That's him. My workaholic husband who still hasn't called. The same asshole who still hasn't called me after a week of being away. Because you know apparently texting should be enough when he's going to be gone. " she said sarcastically. "And I bet he hasn't even realized that this is the day of my first appointment. I'm wondering if he's even registered how difficult its going to be to get through this by myself." Dr. Young scribbled something on her clipboard. "What are you writing down?" Rachel asked.

"Your mood swings are kicking in a little bit early. Usually they're in full blast by the third month."

"Well I'm somewhat of an over achiever." she said jokingly.

"That brings me to my next point. Stress is not good for you. Is there any possible way, you could take time off from work during your final stages of pregnancy?"

"I'm sure I could." she smiled at the fact she basically ran her company.

"And about the morning sickness, try your best to get out of bed slowly and try not to move too fast. Eat some saltine crackers and lay off the pickles. Try turkey based pepperoni if you want something spicy and full of protein. You should come back on the first of every month." she finished and wrote down a prescription before handing it to her and continuing. "You should take one of these vitamins every morning and see some results."

"Thank you?"

"No problem. Mrs. Fisher should be finished by now. You can meet her outside."

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><p><strong>Later On<strong>

"I have to take off of work during my last few months of pregnancy." she told Richard that night.

"Good. Stress is bad for you and the baby right?"

"Yeah." she said surprised. "Have you been reading about this?"

"Of course I have. I also know you're going to get moody next month."

"Actually that kicked in early."

"Why am I not surprised?" he laughed. Rachel smiled into the phone.

"I love you."

"I love you too." he said before Bruce called him off the phone.

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><p><strong>At Toni's Apartment<strong>

"So what did the doctor say?" Garth asked.

"She said I'm doing great. I should try to eat more sugar and less fat. I'm not sure how."

"Try chocolate. And no beef."

"Yeah? Okay that might work."

"I'm going to come down on August 7th."

"Okay. I'll be here."

"Love ya."

"Love you too babe."

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><p><strong>At Jump City Police Department<strong>

Kori was planning to surprise Roy by stopping by his office. She dressed in lingerie and a long overcoat. She went to his office and locked the door. She tightened the coat as she sat in his chair and smiled as the door opened slightly.

"All work and no play makes Harper a dull boy." she reached to loosen her coat before hearing Vic's voice.

"Kori?" he walked in and she tightened the straps before he turned on the lights.

"Victor? What are you doing here?"

"It's my office."

"What?"

"Roy and I switched last week. He's next door right now."

"Oh. I am so sorry." she said on her way out. He stopped her on the way out by putting an arm against the door frame.

"Wait a minute."

"Why are you dressed like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like a P.I."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Its just an over sized coat I picked up on the way out of the house."

"So why are you wearing stilettos?"

"It was the closest thing to the door."

"It has a price tag on them. They look brand new."

"Je'mn tout simplement de parler en français très, très rapidement, parce que lorsque je ne, la plupart du temps, les gens vont me donner ce que je veux. Maintenant je vais garder parlant, souriant et hoche la tête et vous allez finalement laisse-moi passer." he didn't understand a word she said so he simply moved his arm. "comme ça." she walked next door.(1)

"Roy. Are you in here?" she asked playfully.

"I'm here." he answered dully.

"I have a surprise for you." she smirked and locked the door.

"Kori, we shouldn't tonight." he said struggling. "I have some news."

"What is it?" she asked. "Are you pregnant?" she teased him.

"Not exactly." she was very confused at this point. She felt a small hand pulling at her strings making the coat fall off to reveal her lingerie. She looked down to see a young girl with black hair and a green dress on.

"Daddy she's just like my summer time Barbie doll!" she smiled. Kori quickly covered herself up. And looked to Roy.

"Daddy?"

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><p><strong>Terra and Gar's House<strong>

Terra smiled at Gar who was on the couch sipping some sort of drink and watching their favorite show.

"I want to take a trip." she said again.

"I do too. But with Jason in town. Our friends need us."

"Okay. Fine. After that. I want to take a trip."

"Where?"

"The canyon." he looked at her warily.

"Terra." he started.

"Don't 'Terra' me. I want to do this."

"We don't have to."

"I know. But I really want to."

"Okay we can go." he said before she thanked him by climbing on top of him and kissing him passionately.

"You are most definitely the best boyfriend I've ever had."

"How many have there been?" she kissed him trying to make him forget what she said.

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><p><strong>(1) You should seriously find out what she said using an online translator. Its actually pretty witty. Lolz. It was inspired by 'Switched at Birth' (Which I also DISclaim)<strong>

**A/N: It kills me everytime I imagine Starfire saying, 'Daddy?' lolz. I hope you enjoyed and If you did, well like all the authors here say, Read _and_ Respond. Thank you.**

**Much Love and Respect**

**~Poppie~**


	3. Hide and Seek

**A/N: Okay. I screwed up. Garth is coming back SEPTEMBER 7th. lolz I'm sorry. Its SEPTEMBER 7th when Garth comes back. And we get to see some awesome Flinx in this chapter.**

**Review Responses**

**TheDreamChaser:You'll have to read and seeeeee. :)**

**Mewgirl223:lolz! Thanks. I love when you try to guess. Its very exciting. lolz. But I've said it before. I'm kinda crazy so you never know. It could go from funny to dramatic to musical. (jk about the last part.) I hope you like this chapter.**

**Quoththeraven1103: I tried to make Starfire's reaction as sweet as possible. But I still tried to give her a little bit of a jealous streak.**

**New york Mike: I don't know about that. But she brings it up in this chapter again sooooo.**

**RxRFannnnn: Yeah but, I couldn't help put something in there for Terra and BB. And about Jason, no promises...**

**boby137:You'll Seeeeeeee. lolz hope you enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Later That Same Night<strong>

"Garth's coming back on September 7th. Six days." Toni said.

"That's great." Rachel said not looking up from what was in front of her.

"I'm thinking of starting the nursery."

"That's great." she said once more.

"I also want to go to my first sonogram during my sixth month."

"That's great."

"I don't want to know what the gender is until the baby is handed to me."

"That's great."

"I've also thought about taking up drinking, smoking, and wrestling. Maybe boxing or cage fighting." she said nonchalantly.

"That's great."

"You're not even listening." she smacked her hand on the desk.

"I'm sorry. I'm just worried about some things."

"Like what?"

"You know, like how am I going to give birth? How do I even know if it's going to be planned? What if the baby comes early or late? What if Dick can't get here in time?"

"He'll get here on time. You know he will."

"I guess." she smiled a little bit. "So six months in huh?"

"Yep." she said happily. "What about you?"

"Maybe the seventh?" she admitted. "I'll have sonograms before that, but I don't want to be sure about what gender it is until then."

"Why not?"

"Keep it a mystery." Toni nodded in understanding. "So Garth will be back September 7th. How are you holding up? Have you seen or heard from Jason?"

"Lately. No. It's like he actually did what I wanted him to do for once." she chuckled dryly.

"You'll be fine. Isn't there some sappy, cheesy saying that love conquers all?" she asked going back to work.

"You are a hopeless romantic Rachel. Has anyone ever told you that?" her voice dripped with sarcasm.

"That's great."

"Say that again and I will pray you're having twins."

"That's-"

"Rachel!" her head snapped up.

"Maybe I should stop working. Do you want to go for a snack or something?"

"Something light?"

"Sure." she nodded.

**15 Minutes Later**

"So chicken burritos and a peppermint bark milkshake are what you'd call light?" Rachel eyed Toni's meal.

"The doctor said less beef more sugar this month." she took a bite. "What about you?"

"My cravings are weird. But I'm trying to fight them with a salad." she pointed to her order.

"That's a _taco_ salad."

"Its got lettuce and tomatoes. It's a salad." she reasoned. "It just has character."

"Right." Toni took a bite of food.

* * *

><p><strong>Roy's Outfit<strong>

"Roy?" Kori asked softly.

"Yes?" he asked back innocently.

"Who is that?" she said through a fake smile.

"Who's who?" he played dumb.

"You know."

"Nooooo who?"

"The precious little girl, who has your eyes and apparently a summertime Barbie doll. The same one who called you daddy."

"Oh. Her. She's my daughter." he chuckled. She joined in nervously. He stood up and took the girl's hand.

"I didn't know you had one." it felt odd as she said the words.

"Neither did I." he said quietly. He brought the girl to the door and Kori stood there still in awe. "Lian why don't you go see if Uncle Vic can bring you downstairs to the vending machine for a snack. You've been playing all day. You need to eat."

"Okay daddy!" she skipped off. Kori slightly cringed at hearing the 'd' word again.

"I can explain."

"Those are the first words you have chosen to start this conversation with?" she asked.

"I know it looks bad but its not what you think Kori."

"Oh really? Because I think, while we were in high school you and Cheshire were getting it on resulting in a love child that you never told me about."

"Did you really just say 'getting it on'?" she rolled her eyes before he continued. "Okay. So that's pretty close to what you think." he scratched his head awkwardly. She started to leave. "But you did get a couple of things wrong."

"What? Are there more kids out there?" she asked.

Roy stayed silent and tried to search his memories. Kori scoffed and turned around to leave again. "I'm just kidding!" he stopped her and brought her back to his desk.

"I am not really in the mood for jokes Roy."

"I'm sorry Kori." he took a breath before continuing. "We had sex in college once. It was our senior year. We were stupid. We didn't use protection. And when she left, she never contacted me again. I swear I had no clue that she was pregnant. She didn't want me to know."

"Until now?" she bit back. He looked downcast. "Wait? If she never contacted you again then how did…?" she tried to remember the child's name.

"Lian." he finished.

"Lian." she said the name and smiled. "How did Lian end up here?"

"Her mother had someone drop her off. It was written in her will."

"You mean?" he nodded. "Jade." she whispered sadly. "How did it happen?"

"She was going to resign from one of her 'jobs' and they shot her. They gunned her down." he said sadly. "I had to go investigate. Its out in Steel City. The boss assigned it to me when he found out I had a connection with her. I found a note for me in her pocket. It gave me directions to follow when I had to search the house. I ended up finding birth papers and more proof that Lian was my daughter." he explained.

"She knew she was going to die if she quit the League." Kori stated more than asked.

"But she didn't want that life for her and her daughter anymore." he finished.

"Roy." she said quietly not knowing what to do. "How old is she? She is very beautiful." she tried to lighten the mood.

"She's turning five in a few months." he answered with a bit of a smile. Kori in turn smiled back. Then something caught his attention. "Wait. Kori, why were you here again?" he asked slyly reaching for her jacket's ties.

"I'm here to change and take Lian out for ice cream. Then put her to bed." she removed his hands and settled for a short kiss.

"Thank you." he whispered once they pulled apart slightly. She was about to kiss him when she heard skipping down the hallway again.

"Lian." she said. "Come with me. I am going to get you all set up with ice cream. Then we can go home."

"Can I really daddy?" she asked.

"Sure." he nodded before sitting down and continuing his work. Lian took Kori's hand and they left the office.

"Lian. I'm going to change my outfit before we go for ice cream. Is that okay?"

"Can I pick your outfit?" she asked hopefully.

"Sure."

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day(September 3rd)<strong>

"Garfield!"

"Don't call me that. I'm not a lasagna loving cat."

"Sorry. I'm just so excited!" she dumped climbing gear on the sofa next to him. " I got someone to cover at the restaurant. We can go to the canyon right now. For two days."

"Jason-"

"-hasn't shown up or bothered Toni since that one time." she pointed out giving him no roo to wiggle ou of it. "Plus she's staying at Rachel's and he doesn't even know."

"Really? Why would you tell me that? You know I can't keep secrets!" he freaked out.

"You'll be fine. Just avoid all contact with him."

"Right uh. About that..."

"Gar...?"

"You remember that monthly ritual the guys and I have."

"Poker games at Wally's?" she asked. He confirmed with a short nod. "What about them?"

"Well."

"You invited him?"

"It wasn't exactly my idea! I just implied, it's been different without Jason. And I kind of let it slip that he was back and Wally suggested that he come for at least one last hurrah." Terra rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"You're going to play poker with him?"

"He's still the same Jason. The only difference is now he's not with Toni."

"Don't say anything about the pregnancies."

"Another secret." he said grabbing the equipment. "You sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure."

"Lets call everyone and let them know we're leaving." Terra tossed him his cell phone and she pulled out hers.

* * *

><p><strong>Wally and Jinx<strong>

"Oh God."

"Wally?" Jenn stirred next to him. "What's-"

"Shhh. Sleep a little bit more." he whispered and pushed her hair out of her face. "I'll be back." she nodded as he kissed her forehead and left the room. She tried to go back to sleep but she got a text message from Donna.

_Kori's place in ten minutes. EMERGENCY!_

Jenn turned to look at the clock. '10:30.' she sighed. Only a couple more days before they had to start teaching again. They couldn't wake up like they have been on weekdays. And most weekends they'd be out with friends, or grading, or running extra practices for track. Jenn shook it off and got ready.

"Wally. I'm heading to Kori's." she got no answer. "Wally?" she looked out on the balcony where he was looking out into the city.

"I've got some news. You might not like it."

"I don't like half the things you do." she joked.

"You remember your old friend-?" a cell phone cut him off.

"I'm sorry. One sec." she answered the phone.

"_It's 10:45. Where the hell are you?"_ Donna screamed.

"I'm on my way! Quit bitching out." she kissed Wally and mouthed '_Later. Love you_.' before running to the car.

"You're old best friend died last week." he said quietly to no one.

* * *

><p><strong>Kori's Apartment<strong>

"What's so damn important you had to interrupt my-?" Jenn ranted as she walked into the house. She saw Kori laying down trying not to fall asleep.

"Guess what?" Donna asked

"You don't know how to let people finish ranting?" she smirked.

"I met a guy!" she breathed happily.

"You met a guy?"

"He's a Police Officer. He has a bullet wound. And he's just a rookie. So they're not going to send him out in the field for another year."

"Wow." Jenn said in awe.

"He's six foot 3! He works out. He has brown hair and and an Irish accent." Jenn still looked blank.

"I'm sorry. I'm still stuck on 'I met a guy.'" Donna pushed her on the couch. She landed next to Kori who was passed out. "Whats with her?" she asked. In turn Donna shrugged.

* * *

><p><strong>Terra and Gar In The Canyon<strong>

"Keep up Gar!" Terra shouted as she climbed.

"You slow down!" he criticized. "We don't want a repeat of last time!" he called still behind her.

"We won't!" she yelled back to him. "We won't." she said quietly and full of determination. She took one more step up and lost her grip for a moment. She let out a short but shrill scream.

"Terra!" Gar screamed out worried.

She clutched the rope and took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Lets keep going."

"No. We can still turn back."

"We only have another mile to go." she said. She could be stubborn.

"At least wait for me to get closer." she did so and they continued up without anything else going wrong. Gar was up first and he reached out a hand to help Terra up. They stood there before Terra walked to the spot where it happened. She took a seat in that same spot 'it' happened. She settled in before opening her eyes and letting a tear fall. She brushed it away as Gar came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He saw that the sun was about to set.

"I'll set up camp for tonight."

* * *

><p><strong>Kori's Apartment.<strong>

Kori woke up with a start. She wondered how long she was sleeping. The last thing she remembered was Jenn coming in and babbling about something. She couldn't remember. That was around 11:00. She looked at the clock and saw it was 7:30.

"Eight and a half hours." she sighed. "I've gained what I lost." she said happily. She grabbed a pizza slice from the fridge and started to heat it up. As she did she remembered what happened the night before.

_'I lost Lian. Fuck. Me.' was all Kori could think at the time. They'd agreed to play Hide and Seek. But she didn't count on not being the hider. She looked just about everywhere. The hamper. Her bedroom. Her bathroom. Everywhere a four year old kid could hide. And she couldn't find her anywhere. She was just about to give up when she collapsed on the ground near a bed. She turned her head and saw Lian looking at her and giggling. Her eyes lit up and so did Kori's as she crawled out from underneath. Kori placed her in the bed and stayed with her until she slept._

_When she finally fell asleep, Kori got up and left the room. She decided to crash on the couch and kill Roy tomorrow. She knew where the extra sheets were anyways. She was about to close her eyes when she heard a scream. She ran to Lian's room where she shook and cried, terrified. _

_"What happened Lian?" Kori asked._

_"I had a bad dream." Kori thouoght for a moment. _

_"Would you like to talk about it? It helped me when I was your age." she wiped the child's eyes as she nodded._

_"I was walking in this place and I saw my mommy." she went on to tell the tale. And Kori listened. Lian still wasn't able to sleep. So Kori stayed up with her until she fell asleep. They drew pictures and tried not to focus on anything. Kori was too tired to remember what was drawn and Roy could tell. He had come in really late. When she woke up that morning, she was in Roy's bed and he was on the couch._

Kori was shaken from her memories when the timer went off. She decided to shake it off. She called Toni at Rachel's place. "How are things going?" she asked.

"Fine. Where were you today? Rach and I were going to check out your new merchandise for the motherhood section. But the place wasn't open."

"It is a long story. We can leave it at that."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:Awwww. I love Cheshire parts so much and it was kind of hard to write a character death. I don't really like it. No matter how much drama it adds. Reviews are appreciated.**

**Much Love and Respect**

**~Poppie~**


	4. Fast Forward

**A/N: I'm baaaaaaaaaack. (no applause) Okay Okay Fine. I'm sorry I haven't been on since like,.. well forever. But I hope you will forgive me after this dramatic and comedic, dramady if you will. I really enjoyed writing the beginning of this chapter and I realized, it's moving to slow for my taste. So I sped it way way WAY up to the next year. And I hope I did it well. Lots of scenes over the next few chapters will take place in one setting, so you know. It's for the best.**

**REVIEW RESPONSES!**

**TheDreamChaser: Awww. Its okay. I know how you feel. And I'm sorry about not updating sooner. Hope you like it.  
><strong>

**Mewgirl223:Still luv when you guess! And I can't tell you if you were right or wrong. But what I can tell you is, that prediction will be addressed in this chapter. Hope you enjoy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Rachel and Richards Apartment(September 7)<strong>

"We're here!" Toni called and Rachel ran out to the living room to hug Garth. "Welcome back!"

"Hey." he laughed.

"Is he here?" she asked beaming "He never called and said anything."

Garth held out his phone. "He told me to play this video message for you." he set it up and handed it to her. "Sorry Rachel."

"Its okay. Its not anyone's fault really."

"Except your Father in Law." A voice called from behind. She turned to see Bruce Wayne.

"Bruce?" Rachel asked shocked.

"I'm so happy for you two." Bruce said with no more than a slight corner of his mouth raised.

"I can tell." Rachel said sarcastically.

"You know what? Let's hope this kid comes out with just as much hell to give to you."

She felt Richard's hands around her waist before she saw him. "If that happens I'm blaming you Bruce."

"Why didn't you call?" she smiled.

"Let's call it revenge." she gave him a minor death glare before everyone moved to the living room.

* * *

><p><strong>Gar and Terra( September 8)<strong>

"Do you remember the very first time I saw you?" Gar asked Terra who had been silent all that night.

"And I scared you. While you were unloading the crates of puppies."

"Surprised me."

"Come again?" she asked softly.

"You didn't scare me. You just surprised me."

"I surprised you and then apologized and helped you unload the crates."

He nodded and looked to the ground chuckling nervously. "I remember that. And I remember looking up at you every few seconds. Then you caught me and we blushed a little bit." She smiled at the memory. "We started talking and I asked you how long you'd been working at The Battered Women's Shelter. And you turned away from me and just left."

"I remember that too."

"Then you can answer my question." she looked up at him to meet his eyes. "Why didn't you answer me? Were you mad or upset that I brought it up? It's always bothered me that I could have hurt you unintentionally."

Terra took a deep breath and looked out at the city. "I was afraid."

"Of me?"

"Of feelings." she teared up. "It was never you. Feelings were what got me assaulted in the first place. When I saw you and that instant connection we had with each other, I was scared of getting hurt again. It was never you."

"What made you change your mind?"

"When you came again and brought me that puppy. One that was just for me. Then you saw the scar underneath my side bangs and brushed them aside, and told me I didn't need to hide from you, I just felt so incredibly safe in that moment. I knew it was okay to feel with you."

"I love you." he said holding her close. "So much."

"I love you too Gar. Thank you so much for going up there with me. I really needed it."

"I know." he looked up at the time "Do you want me to stay home tonight? I can skip poker night this month."

"No. Its okay. Go ahead. I want you to have some fun babe." She dried her eyes and gave him her most convincing look.

"Okay. Call if you need something."

"I'll be fine. Don't lose all of our money."

"No promises!" he called leaving the house. She laughed and climbed over the couch to watch television and try to clear her mind.

* * *

><p><strong>At Wally's<strong>

"I fold." Garth declared. And threw his hand down.

"I'd back out now Wally. You're going down."

"I stay." he said not even blinking.

"Roy?" Richard asked.

"Isn't the important thing here that we cherish the fact that you and Garth are back in town for a whole three days?" his cards really sucked.

"I still can't believe I have to go back early." Garth complained.

"You're telling me." Dick said as well.

"Telling you what?" Jason walked in with a few beers. The room was silent. "What?" he asked.

"Oh come on guys. It's only been a year." Gar said. "Let him back in the loop."

"Not all the way in." Garth said referring to Toni and Rachel being pregnant.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jason asked still pissed.

"It means." Vic stood up and gave them both the 'cut the bullshit look' "You've been gone a year and things have changed. You can't just come in all of a sudden having expected that time stood still waiting for you to figure out what to do."

"I fold." Roy continued the game.

"Just you and me West."

"Full House." he declared as Jason sat down.

"Damn it." Richard threw his cards down and revealed a Flush.

"So did you tell her yet? About Jade?" Roy asked.

"No. I can't do it. I almost did this morning again but, with school started up, I don't want her to be all bummed out."

"You have to tell her sometime." Vic said seriously. "Secrets are no good. If she finds out from somebody else that you knew and never told her…" he trailed off.

"I know." he admitted. "But how do I tell her, that Jade died, they were like sisters. Wreaking havoc on teachers, constantly getting detention together, she even took the rap for putting the principal's car on the roof and painting it pink senior year."

Richard laughed. "I still don't know how she managed to do that without getting caught."

"Best senior prank of the year hands down." Gar chimed in.

"How are you holding up? Didn't you guys date in high school?" Jason asked Roy.

"I'm doing okay. I hadn't seen her for years before they brought me in to I.D. her."

"I'm sorry." he said. Everybody gave their condolences to Roy before he just began shuffling the deck and laughing.

"Wally you're out this round. So you can stop counting cards now."

"Hey, I'm not cheating, I'm just that good. Don't be mad 'cause you're in the hole for fifty bucks."

* * *

><p><strong>Karen and Vic House( Later That Night)<strong>

"Karen I'm home." he got no answer. But he found a note

_Spending the night at Donna's. Something came up. I'll be back to make you breakfast tomorrow. :)_

_Love you,_

_Karen_

He looked at the clock. _11:57_

'_Might as well finish some paperwork.' _he thought. Then looked down at the note again.

_p.s. Don't even think about touching that paperwork. I already did it. Go. To. Sleep. :)_

He just smiled and thought about how much he loved his wife, before drifting off into a deep sleep._  
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* * *

><p><strong>Rachel's Apartment (September 9th)<strong>

"I can't believe you're leaving me so soon." Rachel said the next day.

"I know. But remember the big picture Rachel. This is for us." he touched her stomach that barely had a bump. "For him. Or her. Or them." she smacked his hand away playfully.

"So not funny. For your information I've already been to the doctor. She said I'd know if we were having twins. I'd feel them kicking furiously. It's only been mild."

"I have to feel one more time before I go."

"They're not going to kick just because you say so." she teased. All of a sudden Rachel felt the movement inside of her stomach and Richard just looked at her smugly before placing his hand on her bump.

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Month<strong>

"You've been doing incredibly well Mrs. Grayson."

"Thank you Dr. Young."

"Are you sure you don't want your sonogram yet?"

"Not until my husband can be here with me."

"Very well. I trust that you have been doing less work." she said as she took her blood pressure.

"I've been taking some time off. And my cases have already been closed. So I don't have any commitments to anybody but my family."

"Good. I'm going to prescribe you with some pills that will help you sleep on your left side. I believe Mrs. Fisher is getting them as well."

"Will they hurt the baby?"

"Of course not." she smiled. "This will increase the blood flow and the baby will be healthier for it."

"Thank you so much. For everything doctor." Rachel said before leaving the exam and waiting for Toni in the lobby.

"All good news here." Toni said making her turn around.

"Me too."

"God. Already the fifth month in."

"I feel so huge."

"I know what you mean." The girls left and headed to Toni's apartment.

* * *

><p><strong>Roy's House (Halloween)<br>**

"Daddy! Daddy!" Lian called. "We got so much candy!" Kori walked in dressed as a sexy robber with two bags full of loot draped over her shoulders. She gave them to Lian and stood in the door frame.

"That's my girl." He gave her a high five. "Now go upstairs and brush your teeth for bed. It's really late."

"Okay daddy." She went upstairs.

"I'm sure the fact you went with her dressed like that didn't get you guys more candy." he said a little sourly.

"Are you jealous, Roy?" she teased. "Well. I guess I can just take this off and change into my regular boring clothes."

"What? No." Before he could protest she was already upstairs. She returned about 15 minutes later and took a seat next to Roy.

"How long do you intend to keep Lian a secret?"

"That depends. Could she pass as _our_ kid?" he asked.

"Well she is part Viennese and part Irish. We both have red hair. Not to mention she speaks three languages, thanks to her mother, that does not even include _my_ native French and, oh yeah, I am pretty sure someone will be clever enough to realize, I didn't have thirty pounds of belly on me within the last few years."

"So that's a no?" he asked. This resulted in a pillow being thrown at him.

"Lian is asleep in her room. I'm going to head home. Goodnight love."

"It's so late. Are you sure you don't want to stay the night?"

"Lian is right next door. We can't have sex."

"Who said anything about sex?" he asked seriously. "Lets just _sleep_ together." he suggested. She smiled and started upstairs while he followed right behind her.

* * *

><p><strong>NEXT MONTH<br>**

**Donna and Rory(November 7) (1)**

"I really like you Donna."

"I like you too. A lot. So much. I mean not in the desperate way or anything. Because you know, I'm not desperate at all. Although when I say it like that, it doesn't seem like I'm not. But I'm not." she babbled but Rory just laughed and smiled. He took her hand.

"You don't have to be nervous. You can be yourself around me. I promise." she smiled warmly at that before he continued. "We've been seeing each other for two months now right?"

"A great two months."

"And I wanted to know if we could make this official." Donna's eyes lit up and dulled down in an instant.

"I can't answer that question right now." she said softly before standing up.

"Donna what's wrong?" he asked confused and hurt.

"Is it my accent?"

"No your accent is really sexy." she said getting her things in her purse.

"Do I suck in bed?"

"What? No! Trust me that is not it at all." she reassured him as she pulled her shoes on.

"Well then what is it?" he asked. His green eyes searching her blue for answers.

"I just can't. Not right now. I'll call you." and with that she left.

* * *

><p><strong>(January 23) Kori's<br>**

"And you just left him?" Kori asked.

"Are you insane?" Rachel asked.

"I can't. I'm not over Terry. It's not fair to me and its especially not fair to Rory!" Donna defended. "Besides it's not like I haven't been seeing him. I just haven't given him a straight up answer yet."

"But that was over two months ago. Why aren't you over Terry yet? You know its not your fault." Terra comforted her.

"Maybe you should visit Terry. And ask for a sign." Karen suggested.

"Maybe. I'll see you guys later. I'm going to take a walk." She said her goodbyes and locked the door.

"So Kori, you don't look as tired as you used to be." Jenn noted.

"Yes. I've gotten used to it, I suppose."

"Used to what?" Rachel asked. Kori cursed silently knowing she slipped up.

"Nothing."

"You have been looking a little bit different lately." Terra noticed.

"Alright fine. You have caught me. I have been spending the night with Roy more often."

"That doesn't explain why you were so tired though."Karen pointed out.

"Spending the night with Roy can wear you out." she lied slyly.

"Good point." The girls agreed. "So where's Toni? Shouldn't she be here eating ice cream? Gossiping?" Jenn asked.

"She had me drop her off off at school to get some paper work done." Terra explained

"Oh." At that moment, her phone went off.

"Who's that?"

"Wally texted me. _'I need to see you Jinx.'_" she read. She texted back and got her coat.

"Sounds serious." Rachel thought outloud.

"Nah. He's probably horny." she deadpanned. Everybody choked on their ice cream at hearing her direct statement.

"The Queen of Blunt." Terra joked.

"Later."

"Bye." They chimed out.

"So how's the baby boomer doing?" Karen asked touching Rachel's now very large bump.

"Ugh. I haven't seen Richard in months. I don't even think Christmas counts. He came gave me a present and got called back the next morning."

"What did he get you?" Terra asked. Before she could answer, Terra's phone rang.

"Hey babe. What's up?"

"Terra. Please tell me Toni is with you right now."

"No she's not. She's at the school. She told me to pick her up when she called. Why what's wrong?"

"Damn it. Get in your car and go there now. Jason knows she's pregnant."

"What?" she picked up her keys and the rest of the girls followed.

"I was at The Green Rock and I saw his car speeding down the street. I didn't like it so I went to Toni and Garth's place. The door was knocked down and there were sonogram pictures torn up and on the floor." he explained while they drove. "He wasn't at poker earlier tonight and I knew something was up. I'm at the school now but I don't know how to get to Toni."

"Okay. I know where it is I dropped her off. I'll be there in a second." she hung up the phone. "Damn the people who designed a middle school the size of a college campus!" She drove as fast as she could and parked near Jason's car.

* * *

><p><strong>Jinx and Wally's<strong>

"I'm home. How was the game?" Jenn asked.

"It was fine. How was Kori's?"

"Do you really want to hear or are you trying to distract me so you can slip my clothes off."

"Can I not be genuinely interested in how your day was?"

"Wally, I spent six years studying human sexuality. I've picked up on a few patterns."

"Oh have you?" he asked

"You may have a degree in chemical engineering, but we both know I'm the expert on chemistry." she whispered before kissing him roughly. He brought her down on the couch with him and before she was able to reach for his buttons, he pulled away from her.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." she went to start kissing him again. But he felt wrong. "No wait. That's a lie."

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you remember Jade?"

"Of course I do. We used to hang out all the time."

"Yeah."

"What about her?" he slowly sat up and took her hands carefully in his.

"Something happened la-" his phone rang.

"Toni's calling." he said confused he never usually got calls from her.

_"What's going on Toni?"_

"Not much. I'm probably being really paranoid but can you tell me what kind of car Jason drives."

_"It's a Black Nord Fissan."_

"Shit." she whispered.

_"Why. What's wrong?" he asked._

"What _is_ wrong Toni?" Jason asked her and threw the phone.

_"Toni! Who is that? Toni!"_ she heard Wally's voice before Jason stepped on the phone.

"You're not supposed to be here." she said terrified.

"Supposed to. Lots of things weren't _supposed_ to happen. You weren't _supposed_ to marry Fisher. You weren't _supposed_ to get yourself knocked up and _I_ wasn't _supposed_ to find out!" he yelled. She backed into the wall even though he was six feet away from her. "See I was _supposed _to go soul searching and find out what I really wanted. And I did. Then I was _supposed_ to come back here and get back together with you. But when that didn't happen, I accepted it." he took a few steps back. "But when I found out that the woman I loved and the woman who was _supposed_ to love me ended up getting pregnant with someone else's child! THAT GOT ME MAD BECAUSE THAT WASN'T _SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!_" he screamed and kicked a desk over.

"Help!" she screamed.

"Toni." Terra struggled to get the door open.

"I've lost so much Toni. But you, what have you lost? You have friends that are willing to do anything to save you. You have to lose something." he lunged at her. "You have to LOSE SOMETHING!" he yelled and she let out another shriek as she struggled to get free from his grip.

"I've got it. Watch out." Karen pulled the fire alarm and smashed the glass with the emergency axe.

"Get away from her!" Rachel called from the back of the group. The rest of the girls distracted him while Rachel ran to Toni's aid. Unfortunately they were not able to do this for long. When Jason noticed the two girls he pushed Rachel away from Toni. She hit her head and blood ran on her forehead.

The last things she heard came as a blur but she could remember the most important things clearly.

"Fisher's husband is coming."

"The attacker is in custody."

"What about Grayson?"

"He's on his way."

"And _her_ baby? Check the monitor."

"Okay."

"Well?." silence "Well?. Dr. Young what is it?"

"Oh God." Then nothing but black.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ain't I a stinker? I mean think about it. I don't show up for so many months and I'm back and I bring you this! I. ARE. BAD. **

**(1) Rory is just the most common Irish name I've heard in my life. Reily never seemed right for this character.**

**I hope you enjoyed. Leave any comment you wish and I'll see you next time!**

**Much Love and Respect,**

**~Poppie~  
><strong>


	5. Random Questions

**A/N: You probably don't even want to read this. Ya just wanna skip to the story. Right? Well TOUGH NOODLES! I work hard on thinking of these funny A/N's and dammit, your gonna read them...pretty please? *sigh* fine I'll just give you the review responses...**

**RxRFannnnn- I know right? I'm sorry, not a lot of answers in this chapter. Just a little angst and lot of fluff to balance out the angry!  
><strong>

**unknown137- lolz. You asked. Here it is, just three days late! lolz.**( hey thats gotta be a record somewhere)

**TheDreamChaser- hehe. Sorryz. like i said before. I. ARE. BAD. lol. Here's the next chapter  
><strong>

**black rose-raven angel- Your review made me smile, then laugh, then laugh again, then say awwwww. hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>January 23 8:00 PM<strong>

"Richard." Terra said as she noticed him walk in.

"Where the hell is he?" he asked storming in not even bothering to acknowledge anybody. "Where is that bastard?"

"Sir you're going to have to calm down." a nurse told him.

"I don't want to calm down. I want to know where Jason is!"

"Mr. Grayson. As soon as you are relaxed I will fill you in on everything, but if you can't you are going to have to leave!" she said sternly.

Realizing he wouldn't get the answers he needed until he calmed down, he did so. He took a seat and the nurse continued.

"I'm Amanda. I'm Dr. Young's Assistant. According to witness statements there was an altercation between Mrs. Fisher and her ex. Jason is in custody for assault charges. We did further medical research indicating that he has had a suppressed mental illness. For some reason, it never showed up until recently. We think it might have had to do with a change in his life."

"No offense nurse but I don't want to hear sympathy for the man who attacked my pregnant wife." he sighed. "Where is Rachel?"

"She can't have visitors just yet. She is still unconscious. We won't know anymore on her condition until she wakes."

"I can't see her? I'm her husband." he reasoned agitated.

"Dick. There's nothing we can do but wait." Wally placed a hand on his shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>9:00 PM<strong>

The nurses put the large group in a separate room from all the other people in the waiting lobby.

"I'm going to get some coffee for everybody." Jenn said already groggy. Everybody nodded and she headed to the long line. Two men in their scrubs were in front of her waiting for their orders.

"So any exciting stories to tell?" One asked the other.

"Not really. I mean Steel City had all kinds. There _was _this last case I took before transferring here last year. A woman, pretty girl, shot 15 times. The autopsy was brutal."

"You know what I think I heard about that. What was her name?"

"I could never pronounce it. She had some sort of Viennese background. I can spell it. I had to know how for records and all that annoying crap." Jenn's head snapped up and she listened carefully.

"So what? I'm supposed to hear it then just say it?" he asked.

"Fine I'll write it down. Hand me a napkin." He wrote the name down and passed the napkin to his friend.

"Jade… what?"

"See I told you. But it really was a shame." he said taking the napkin back and crumpling it up as their orders arrived. "I'm telling you, that girl was beautiful. And not a bullet touched her face."

"Fifteen times? And none to the face?"

"She must have been lucky too." he added as they walked away. Jenn saw the nurse throw the napkin into the garbage. She snuck over and rolled up her sleeve. She reached in careful not to touch anything else but the napkin. As she read the name she shook her head trying to deny it all somehow. She wouldn't, couldn't, believe Cheshire was dead.

* * *

><p><strong>9:30 PM<strong>

"Garth." Richard called stoically leaning up against the wall, staring at nothing.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Do you think, its our fault?" he asked slowly.

"Don't you?" he asked back as if it were obvious.

"Of course. I can't believe I was stupid enough to let Rachel convince me, that she could handle herself while she was pregnant."

"And Toni. God Toni was alone. I should've been there. I should've realized that there was no way Jason could be back in town and not notice Toni was pregnant. I hoped for the best and look where the hell that's gotten us."

"I feel like punching a wall. But I just can't. I don't know how my wife is. I don't know how my unborn child is. I'm not sure of anything!" He rubbed his forehead with one hand and clenched the other into a fist. "I hate not knowing."

"What was I supposed to do? Bring my wife to Gotham City with me? That's _asking _for death. The thugs, and criminals, are just as bad as the dirty cops and officials I've seen down there."he sighed "All except Commissioner Gordon. But I couldn't turn the job down. Especially not with a baby on the way. How could I support our family well enough without this promotion!"

"It was supposed to be better in the long run. We weren't supposed to deal with issues after my seven months was over. I was supposed to cut my work load in half so Rachel and I could raise a family. Not cut my family apart before it even began."

* * *

><p><strong>10:00 PM<strong>

"Roy!" Wally called him to the waiting room the others were in. He walked in and closed the door. "Where have you been?"

"I had to take care of something."

"Toni is in the hospital, Rachel's barely stable and you had to take care of something?" he asked harshly.

"Get off his case Wally." Karen had never seen him so agitated.

He sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't like that I'm just sitting here and waiting. I told Dick all we could do was wait, but I hate not being able to do _something_."

"Its okay." Roy assured him. "I know how you feel."

"Oh yeah. Dude I totally forgot about you and Cheshire."

"That's right. Vic told me. I'm so sorry." Karen looked up at him.

"Thanks." he said with his throat dry. "Is there anything to drink in this place? I mean they give us our own private waiting room, but they don't spring for a water cooler."

"Jinx went to get us all coffee, like an hour ago. I don't know where she is now."

"Those lines are probably long." Wally decided. "I'll go keep her company."

He walked in the cafeteria and spotted Jenn sitting down by herself at a small table covered with tissues.

"Jinx. What's wrong?" he already had an idea.

"Wally." she stood up and hugged him promptly. She held him tight and sobbed silently. She pulled away and apologized. "I'm so sorry." she wiped her eyes.

"Don't be sorry. You look really upset. Just tell me what's wrong."

"Jade. From high school. She's dead. I overheard two nurses talking. And I've just been sitting here for the longest time, just thinking about her and what she's been doing. She just left with no way for me to contact her. She'd been dead for months. And I didn't even know. I feel awful." he looked at her sadly.

"Why? It's not like you could've done anything if you knew earlier." he consoled her.

"I didn't even go to her funeral. We promised if anything were to happen to us, that we'd be there for each other. Up until death. God I feel like such a- ."

"Don't." she looked into his eyes. "It's not your fault. You didn't know. I did."

"What?"

"I've known for months. And I swear, I've tried to tell you before but, things kept happening and I couldn't find a right time to tell you. Its not a good excuse I know." she pulled out of his arms and walked away silently.

"Jinx." she didn't turn around. "I'm sorry."

She continued on not even twitching her head back. He sat down and hoped she would forgive him soon.

* * *

><p><strong>10:15 PM<strong>

Jenn headed back to the waiting room and saw Roy immediately. They locked eyes and the first thing he said was, "Wally told you."

"You want to know what sucks the most? It's not just the fact that I found out Cheshire died, it's the fact Wally's known and he never told me." she deadpanned. "I found out from complete strangers. That's what stings the most Roy."

"I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? I'm sorry. I know Cheshire and I were really close, but you guys were an item. The surefire couple. You know, before she left without warning."

"We were the surefire couple? You and Wally have been flirting since eighth grade. Look at you now."

She raised an eyebrow. "Well not _now_ now. But you get my point."

"We didn't flirt. We fought."

"Same damn thing when it came to you guys." she smiled a little bit.

* * *

><p><strong>11:00 PM<strong>

"Mr. Fisher?" a woman poked her head in the door.

"That's me." Garth stood up.

"She's coming in and out of consciousness. But if you still want to see her, you should come with me."

"Are you her doctor?"

"Yes. Sorry, My name is Dr. Chen. Your wife has been doing exceptionally well for her first child."

"Is the baby-?"

"Your baby is just fine. I picked up a steady heartbeat. It's been kicking from all the excitement Toni has been feeling in the past few hours. She's got a minor bruise, and a wound that only needed three stitches. She should be healed before giving birth."

You could _feel_ the relief wash over him. "Thank you so much doctor."

"If I were you I'd thank Mrs. Grayson. Some of the ladies told me Jason would have hit her clear in the stomach if Rachel hadn't gotten to her first."

"How _is _Rachel?" he asked concerned once again. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure at all. I haven't seen Dr. Young in a while and Nurse Amanda is just as clueless." they stopped near Toni's room. "There she is."

"Thank you Doctor." he took a seat next to her and kissed her hands. "Toni?"

"Garth. What are you doing here?" she turned her head and blinked a few times.

"You realize that's possibly one of the dumbest questions somebody as smart as you could ask right?" she laughed a little bit. "How do you feel?"

"You asked me that same question two years ago."

"One and a half."

"I'm in the bloody hospital. Don't correct me." he laughed slightly. "I don't want to talk about it to be quite honest."

"What do you want to talk about then?"

"We could ask random questions. Like what we did when we first dated."

"You go first." he agreed.

"How did you know you wanted to do police work and such?" she asked after thinking for a while

"I don't know. I started watching all those shows about 'police work and such'." he teased. "Why did you want to be a teacher?"

"I liked the idea of working with kids. Getting practice for something like this." she touched her stomach. "When did you start to like me?"

"Haven't I told you before?"

"Yes. But I like to hear about the parts when you made a fool of yourself."

* * *

><p><strong>Years Ago<strong>

"_**This is Toni, she used to visit Jump for the gymnastics program, but she and her father moved from England this time and she will be here permanently." Rachel began.**_

"_**Hello." Toni said meekly.  
><strong>_

"_**Woah! Dude are you British?"**_

"_**That's Garfield." she informed Toni. "And we just said she moved from England."**_

"_**Well yeah but I don't want to know if she's English. I want to know if she's British." he said seriously.**_

_**Toni opened her mouth to respond but Karen intervened. "I'm Karen. It's nice to meet you. Just ignore half of what Gar says and he's harmless."**_

"_**Likewise. And thanks." they shook hands. "So what can you do for fun around here?"**_

"_**Well there's lots of stuff. We can go to the local amusement park, or go swimming at the beach. Maybe Garth is down there right now." Karen suggested.**_

"_**Who's Garth?" Toni asked. She'd never heard a name like that in England.**_

"_**Garth is like my brother. Not really a talker, but really nice to pretty much everybody." Rachel explained.**_

"_**And he's really cute." Karen jumped in.**_

"_**Hello? Dude still in the conversation here." Gar complained about the girl talk.**_

"_**Then go find Wally and Dickwad and meet us down there."**_

"_**You've got to forgive him sometime. Besides it was pretty funny." Gar tried to sway her. **_

"_**Do you want them there or what?"**_

"_**I can't go alone. What if he and Jenn start fighting again?"**_

"_**Take Karen as back-up."**_

"_**What? Why me?"**_

"_**Someone's gotta stay with Toni."**_

"_**Fine." She and Gar ran the other direction to find their friends.**_

"_**Dickwad? Would this be the same Dickwad who took your-?" she held up a finger to her lips in order to cut her off, not wanting to relive the memory. A few minutes later they were at the beach.  
><strong>_

"_**First thing's first. You need a swimsuit." they walked to a service shack where you could buy swimsuits and rent boogie boards. She handed Toni twenty dollars. "It's on me. Welcome to Jump. Just tell the cashier you cup size and favorite color. You should be all set from there. I'm going to go change and pick a spot on the beach." she pointed to some tents across the way.**_

"_**Wait. I have to tell them my cup size?"**_

"_**Come on, we're in tenth grade. If the guy hasn't already noticed, then you have nothing to worry about." she joked. **_

_**Toni gave a weak laugh. Rachel turned to see Gar with everybody else. "I'll meet you at the changing rooms." She ran off and left Toni in the store. She looked around for somebody and saw nothing but a bell at the front counter. She rang it cautiously and waited for someone. She silently prayed it was a female. "Hello?"**_

"_**One second." a male voice called. 'Damn.' she thought.**_

"_**Welcome to Curry's Currents. How may I help you?" the boy in front of her was visually stunning. He had beautiful dark eyes and lengthy hair. She could tell he had a swimmers body. And his smile almost made her melt. The only thing stopping her was her other feeling, besides lust. Fear. The fear that she had to give him her breast size. "Hello?" he asked again.  
><strong>_

"_**Yes hi. Sorry. Um. I'd like a bathing suit."**_

"_**What color?" he asked putting off the other question. This girl was striking. She had inspiring red eyes. And a nervous smile. Not to mention, well to put it politely, she probably drank a lot of milk growing up.**_

"_**Red." as she said that, he had to erase all images from his mind to keep control.**_

"_**Two piece or one?"**_

"_**Two." 'Why did I say that?' she asked herself. She always wore two pieces but she didn't want to make him think that she was easy or anything. 'Get a grip. Half the girls in the world wear two pieces. It's not like your wearing floss and three crackers.' she convinced herself  
><strong>_

_**He cleared his dry throat before asking, "Cup size?"**_

"_**Its uh…." 'Damn it." why couldn't she remember? 'Was it B? Yes! It was B! Right?' "32B." she said unsure.**_

"_**Ummm. Are you sure?" he asked. He'd seen girls with 32B and he could tell it would look too tight on her. **_

"_**Why wouldn't I be?" she faked it.**_

"_**It's just I've seen plenty of girls with 32B and you don't look, I mean you look different," he bumbled, "Not that I was staring or anything, its just, I've been working here for a while and I've noticed some things." he caught himself again. "Not to make it sound dirty or anything like that. Oh God. I'm just going to get your size." As he turned around and shook his head Toni couldn't help but laugh. He handed her the top piece and she could barely fit it on over her tank top.**_

"_**I guess you were right." she smiled. "You have a talent. I'm sorry what did you say your name was?" **_

_**"Garth."**_

"_**Garth? You're Garth?"**_

"_**Yeah? Is something wrong?"**_

"_**No. Not at all. I'm just going to go." she turned her head and left the bathing suit on the counter.**_

"_**Smooth." his father called from the back room.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Outside<strong>_**  
><strong>_

__"_**Hey. This is Toni. Toni this is Jenn, Wally, Kori, Donna and Dickwad." she insulted Richard  
><strong>_

"_**Hey hottie." Wally stepped forward. Jenn smacked him in the head.**_

"_**Way to be subtle."**_

"_**Aww if you're in love with me just say so. So I can laugh at you." she looked away and grunted.**_

"_**Anyways. What happened to your suit?" Rachel asked  
><strong>_

"_**Oh um. Nobody answered me. Could I borrow one of yours?"**_

"_**Sure. I'll just ask Garth for a new one." Toni handed the twenty dollars to Rachel and took her bathing suit before leaving with the others to change. Rachel was about to head to the service shack but Richard had an idea. **_

"_**Rachel." she stopped and turned around.**_

"_**What?" **_

"_**I'm sorry. The whole pudding in the bra thing was really immature. I mean, come on, we were freshmen. Let me make it up to you." Richard tried.**_

"_**How?"**_

"_**I'll buy your bathing suit for you. I'll use my own money and everything."**_

"_**What's in it for you?"**_

"_**Your forgiveness." he gave her a sad puppy dog look.**_

"_**Ugh. Fine. Just stop doing….…whatever it is you're doing."**_

"_**Great. I'll be back." A few minutes later he returned with the bathing suit in hand. "Here you go." she took it carefully and inspected it inside and out.**_

"_**Thanks Richard. This was actually really sweet of you."**_

"_**Pleasure is all mine Rach." he said holding something behind his back. "Oh don't forget to take off the tags." He helped her remove everything and carefully replaced the bathing suit tops.**_

"_**I'll be back."**_

"_**Cool. I'm gonna hang here. Play some volleyball or something."**_

_**About four minutes after Rachel entered the changing tent, a shrill short scream was heard. Followed by her calling his name in anger. She stepped out in her black bathing suit and shorts but covered in whipped cream. She started chasing him around. They dodged each other as their friends filmed it. **_

"_**I'll kill you Dickwad!" she threatened.**_

"_**You have no proof it was me!" he yelled back as they ran.**_

_**Unfortunately for Rachel, he ended up getting the best of her and throwing her into the water. He called it 'helping her clean off.'**_

"_**Tell me you got that." Jenn asked Vic. **_

"_**Definitely." he assured **_

_**Two hours went by before Garth left his shift and met up with everybody. "Hey guys. You wouldn't believe what happened to me. The most beautiful girl came in today and she... looked just like the one sitting in front of me." he said the last part quietly. They both blushed. Toni got redder as Karen nudged her and wiggled her eyebrows.**_

"_**Garth this is Toni. Toni, this is Garth. But I can see you've already met." Rachel said teasingly.**_

"_**Are you hungry Garth? There's hot dogs and stuff." Toni said trying to make things less awkward. **_

"_**Sure." he accepted. She handed him one and odd silence spread over the group. **_

"_**Football anybody" Vic asked suddenly.**_

_**All the guys agreed and the girls laid out in the chairs cheering for their favorite teams. After forty five minutes of playing, Garth got thirsty. He ran over to the cooler and grabbed a soda. At that exact moment, Toni walked over.**_

"_**You're pretty good. I can't follow the game at all but you get tackled the least." she complimented.**_

_**He laughed and took a drink. "Thanks. And about what happened in the-"**_

"_**Don't worry about it." she told him. "It's not that big a deal to me." She felt her heart pound faster as she tried to convince herself of that more than anyone else.**_

"_**Cool. You know that's-"**_

"_**HEADS UP!" Gar called. The football had gone stray and hit the soda can, making it burst and cover the two in orange stickiness.**_

"_**Oh god." **_

"_**I'm so sorry. Let me get a napkin." **_

_**While reaching over for a napkin, Garth tripped and landed on top of Toni. They scrambled to stand up as everybody else walked over. **_

"_**Woah. Lets keep it PG guys."**_

"_**Shut up Wally." Jenn defended them  
><strong>_

"_**You know what Jenn? And pay close attention because I will never say these words again, you're right." she moved her sunglasses down and looked at him. "The least we could do is make them feel more comfortable about the situation." without warning he shook up a can of root beer and sprayed it all over her.**_

"_**WEST!" she screamed. **_

"_**Soda fight!" Donna yelled. And so it was. After everybody was thoroughly coated in soda they jumped in the water and washed off as much as they could. **_

"_**So Toni, do you like it here so far?" he asked hoping he hadn't scared her off.**_

"_**Yeah. I like it a lot." she looked in his eyes and smiled.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Present<strong>

"You were so clumsy back then. What happened?" she teased through fits of laughter.

"I have no clue but I'm glad it did." they laughed together and all of a sudden Toni stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't believe I forgot. Where's Rachel? What happened to her?"

"Toni." he began slowly. "I don't think I should tell you anything right now. You're still recovering from earlier. We'll know more soon. I promise."

"Garth." she began to protest.

"Lets keep asking questions." he stalled "Do you want to know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"Yes." she said without hesitation. " I just want to know more information about him or her. After what could have happened tonight. I want to know everything I can." she explained quickly. He smiled slightly and kissed her softly.

* * *

><p><strong>2:30 AM<strong>

Everybody was asleep. Garth was sleeping in Toni's room. Richard had not heard anything about Rachel's condition and he couldn't fall asleep. Vic and Karen were sticking it out in the waiting room but Gar and Terra were at home. Jinx and Wally had to get some sleep for their classes the next day. And Donna still couldn't be reached on her cell phone. It was around 3:00 in the morning when Kori tapped Roy's shoulder.

"We have a major little problem." she guided Roy to the main lobby. "The daycare had a minor collapse. The slide fell and the kids are all awake. The ceiling could cave any minute and parents were asked to pick up their kids."

"Is Lian-?"

"Lian is fine right now." she reassured him. "Just tired." she pointed to the small chair where she was knocked out. "Any word on Rachel and Toni?"

"Toni's conscious. Only a bruise and a few stitches. Rachel is still unstable. We haven't heard any more news."

I'll tell you what. I'm going to go home and wash up. I'll have Lian stay with me tonight again."

"I love you."

"I know. Get some sleep here."

Roy thought for a moment, "Actually. You know what? I'm going to go too."

"What?"

"Can't let you have all the fun. We can come back tomorrow morning. We can't throw Rachel a welcome back party if we're all tired. Right?" he brought her spirits up a little bit with his last statement. He picked Lian up carefully and made their way to the car.

* * *

><p><strong>5:00 AM<strong>_  
><em>

_"Mr. Grayson, I'm so sorry. They didn't make it."_

_"Mr. Grayson, The funeral planners are here."_

_"Mr. Grayson, It's been ten years."_

_"Mr. Grayson, you shouldn't be so sad. She wouldn't want you to be sad. And neither would your son."_

_ "Mr. Grayson, are you still blaming yourself?" All the voices overlapped in his head until he heard one clearly._

_"Why did you leave me Dick?"_

_"I didn't leave you. I'm right here." he answered back. "I'm right here. Rachel!" he called out to nobody._

He woke up in a cold sweat and began to breathe heavily. "Richard. Relax." Karen sat him up straight and put both hands on his shoulders. "Breathe." he slowed his breathing and she gave him a bottle of water. "You probably had a nightmare or something. Are you okay now?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks Karen."

"No problem." she nodded and sat back down. "Do you want to talk about it?" he shook his head. "No. because its not going to happen." he looked around. "Where is everybody?"

"Vic went home." she started "So did Kori and Roy. Terra and Gar are coming back first thing in the morning, Jinx and Wally are coming after school. Toni and Garth are together and nobody is getting Donna at all. I was actually going to try to find her after someone else came back."

"Why not now?" he asked.

"_Someone_ needs to stay here with you. Look at you. You just had a mini panic attack. When was the last time you ate anything?"

He tried to remember. "I had a muffin for breakfast yesterday and I skipped lunch for a business meeting and I came straight here."

"That's getting pretty darn close to 24 hours." she scolded.

"Fine. I'll eat from the cafeteria." he agreed defeated. "I still don't know how Vic puts up with you." he joked. "She hit him playfully as he left."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well at least somebody's trying to help him function. Well what did you think? I added that last part like two minutes before I posted this so. let me know how you liked it. And that beach scene was probably my fav. thing to write. well... read and respond please!**

**Much Love And Respect**

**~Poppie~**


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